The “Zero Carbon” Factory 56 at Mercedes-Benz demonstrates just how efficient carbon-neutral car manufacturing can be. It has reduced energy consumption by one-quarter compared with other assembly halls. Two energy storage systems by Mercedes-Benz Energy and Rittal play a pivotal role in this solution. The fixed energy store with an overall capacity of 1,400 kWh is supplied with green electricity from the in-house photovoltaic plant via a DC network. Second-life batteries provide temporary storage for surplus solar power for a further 10 years or so. The combination of a photovoltaic plant, DC network and battery storage system delivers up to 30% of the production line’s electricity demand with self-generated solar energy. The PV plant has 12,000 modules and generates around 5,000 MWh of electricity per annum which is either used directly, placed into temporary storage or fed back to the public grid. As the system supplier, Rittal delivered the key elements of this energy storage solution.
Perfect teamwork
Energy storage creates the technical basis for offsetting energy consumption over time, cushioning peak loads and safeguarding the emergency power supply. Rittal’s R&D, planning and project management services ensure that all components of the energy storage solution work together intelligently and efficiently. The energy storage equipment supplied by Rittal includes a weather-proof steel enclosure, rack systems with heavy-duty shelves to accommodate the battery, a raised floor for cable routing and sturdy and reliable power distribution, plus a smart DC-based climate control. All the power electronics are housed in the adjacent container. In future, performance data for the battery store will be stored in the cloud and processed in the digital ecosystem “MO360”, a family of software applications interlinked by interfaces and a uniform user interface.
Overview
- Project
- Mercedes-Benz Energy
- Location
- Sindelfingen, Germany
- Branch
- Energy
- Automotive-Industry
- Challenge
Reduced energy consumption
Storage for second life batteries
- Solution
Storage of second life batteries in rack systems with heavy-duty shelves
Raised floor for cable routing
Reliable power distribution
Smart DC-based climate control